Brassiere



L. HUNAU Mam I8, 1947.

BRASSIERE Filed July 19, 1946 IINVENTOR M A'r'roau Patented Mar. 18, 1947 I UNITED 'STAI'ESI' PATENT orFicE Application July 19, 1946, Serial No. 684,707

5 Claims.

This invention relates to brassieres.

It is an object of this invention to provide a brassiere which will give firm and adequate support to the bust, and which nevertheless will permit the wearing of low-cut evening gowns.

It is a further object to provide a brassiere having a front connection at or'near the bottom of the brassiere, and which nevertheless will give proper contour to the breast pockets throughout their height. I

Certain styles of ladies garments are open at the neck front to a point well down between the breasts, and it is an object of this invention to provide a brassiere which may be used with such a garment, which will maintain the breast pockets in proper form, andwhich nevertheless will not be exposed at the neck opening beneath the dress. This is accomplished by providing a brassire in which the breast pockets are connected only at a point substantially at the bottom thereof, but which nevertheless gives firm support as though the breast pockets were connected throughout substantially their entire height.

It is a further object to provide a brassiere which while firmly supporting and forming the breasts as desired will nevertheless keep their inner edges separated so as to improve the appearance when low-cut gowns are worn. To accomplish this result the garment employs breast forming pockets, and at the same time maintains these pockets spaced from each other.

I am aware that it has been proposed to make a brassiere with spaced breast pockets, such as are shown in Patent No. 1,970,920, to Roth, but such proposals have not been satisfactory for many reasons: By reason of the fact that the link was small, and had to be sewn into the garment, the cost of the garment was-unduly increased. Moreover, the connecting link was not low enough and did not extend above the center of the breast pockets so that horizontal upper and lower contours of th breasts could not be maintained. Moreover, such a garment is diiflcult to apply and keep in place by reason of its opening being in the back.

It is an object of this invention to create a' new and improved garment which will be free from these defects. In accordance with this invention, the center link is designed with two long substantially parallel legs, which are detachably inserted into side seams, and which are held in place by a simple bent-over hook portion as will be described' erties and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described andthe scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a brassiere of the type described, in place upon the body. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly broken away better to show the construction. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, but showing a slight modification, and Fig. 4 is a broken section onpockets spaced from each other as shown at I5.

To insure that the strain imposed upon the link I4 shall be distributed throughout the height of the inner edge I6 of each breast pocket, so as to pull the entire breast pocket in towards the center throughout its height, the link I4 is substantially U-shaped, being provided with two upstanding substantially parallel arms I1 adapted to fit within hems I8 at the edge of the breast' pocket. This link is made of spring material so that when the body strains are imposed upon The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, propthe brassiere, it will hold not only the bottom portion of the brassiere in place, but will exert pressure inwardly at the top of the brassiere and at all intermediate points, thus keeping the breast pocket smooth and in proper contour. This is accomplished, moreover, without having any por tion of the brassiere or its supports, show at the center.

An important feature of this invention is the manner in which the link I4 is inserted and removed. This not only makes the garment readily releasable for front opening, if desired, but also greatly reduces the cost of manufacture in that the link does not have to be sewed in place. To this end, and to hold the link in place, I prefer to bend the link back upon itself as shown at 20, the finger thus formed being inserted in a second hem 2|, adjacent to the hem I8. Thus the 3 link may be inserted by thrusting the folded end upwardly through the hem l8, until the finger is above the top of the inside edge of the breast pocket, and then inserting the finger 20 in the adjacent h'em 2|, and pulling the body of the breast pocket up into place to the position shown in Fig. 2. Either side of the link may be removed from the brassiere when it is desired to take thegarment oil the body, and the entire link may be removed when it is desired to launder the garment. The link II, in actual use, does notshow at any point except at the point connecting the lower edges of the breast pockets, but I prefer to enamel the entire link in a color matching the brassiere itself.

If desired, it is possible to dispense with the auxiliary hem 2|, intended to receive the finger 20, and to catch the hook over the top of the edge of the hem l 8, as shown in Fig. 3. Such con-- struction does not, however, give as neat an appearance as when a separate hem is employed into which the bent-over ends may be inserted.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be open at top and bottom, a U-shaped link having its legs freely slidin upwardly into said pockets,

center of the said pockets, said channels being and each of said legs having a reversely bent upper end forming a hook of less outside width than the channel through which it is inserted, and having an opening between the leg and end suflicientto fit over the top edge of the channel.

2. A device according to claim 1 having shoulder straps connecting the upper edge of each breast pocket with the back member, whereby the said hooks prevent the strain of the shoulder straps from pulling the channel off the link.

3. A device according to claim 1 having shoulder straps connecting the upper edge of each breast pocket with the back member whereby the said hooks prevent the strain of the shoulder straps from pulling the channel off the link, said link having its central portion shaped to provide an obstructing surface to prevent the said channels from sliding down off the legs onto the central portion.

4. A device according to claim 1 having shoulder straps connecting the upper edge of each breast pocket with the back member, whereby the said hooks prevent the strain of the shoulder straps from pulling the channels oil. the link, said link also having the lower bend of the u flattened and reversely bent at its center to prevent the said channels from sliding down off the legs onto the central portion.

5. A link for connecting and disconnecting the two portions of a brassiere having channels at the adjacent edges of the otherwise disconnected breast pockets, said link comprising a U-shaped member having the ends of its legs bent back parallel to the legs and closely adjacent thereto,

and having the center portion of the U, shaped to provide an obstructing surface to prevent any channel that may be placed upon the U from sliding down onto the center.

- LILLIAN HUNAU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

